OREANDA-NEWS. The coronavirus pandemic exacerbated inequalities in relations both within countries and between states. At its completion, the world can go only two ways, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres wrote in an article for the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet.

The politician notes that he sees only two possible scenarios for the world after the pandemic: optimistic and pessimistic.

The first will be possible if countries are able to cope with the current situation, develop a successful recovery plan and provide enough assistance to developing countries. “If this happens, and the economy gradually recovers, we will begin to move in the right direction, so that after two or three years… we will return to a normal state,” Guterres wrote.

However, there is the worst scenario also. It implies that countries will not unite in the face of an epidemic, new outbreaks of the virus will begin, work on the vaccine will drag on, or only “rich” countries will be able to get it. “If this scenario comes true, we will see how segregation, populism and xenophobia grow,” Guterres wrote. As a result of a pessimistic forecast's realization, he sees the onset of worldwide depression which will last five to seven years.